The Scenes Behind - desktop download

It may be because I work on a computer all day, but I love choosing a desktop background. You know you've got a good one when you minimize all your working windows and feel inspired by what remains. Sometimes I like to create my own based on some sort of topic or lesson I've been working on learning lately.

Today I created one to remind myself that I'm not looking out for number 1. Its really easy to forget (for me) in a visual industry, when I surround myself by the success of others. I'm not here for me, and I'm not trying to get anywhere for me. I regularly forget that, and regularly suffer for it!

Jesus lived the prime example of being number 2 (or 3 or 12 etc...). He got down on his hands and knees and washed the feet of his disciples the day before he was crucified (John 13:1-17). He asked them to follow him, and he asks us to follow him, not for his own gain, but driven by his love for us.

Gotta hold on to that one!

Download the "number 2" desktop image by clicking here!

Also, let me know if you want me to make more! I really have no idea if anyone gets anything from my blog, I just do it to stay creative and inspired :D.

The Dudneys! Family Photos

Here comes another one of my favourite families!

We got outside on saturday and caught the sunshine for some family photos on the property where the Dudney's live. When I pulled these off the camera I was reminded why I love doing this so much. The colours popped with a healthy dose of sunshine and the kids...oh those kids! I giggled my whole way through editing and will giggle again as I load them here. I am scaling back my gushy words, let's just say I feel so blessed to do this kind of thing. God is good!

(PS. I forgot to shout out to Aunt Diana who manned the stuffies! She rocked at getting the kids attention and keeping them smiling. But of course she did, she used to do work as a photographers assistant!)

Days

Like most people, I think about a lot of things on a given day. Things like the future, my goals, happiness, peer pressure, my faith, the four seasons, the Bachelor (sick, I know!), chocolate, and what it means to be a christian artist and career wife.

I'm not sure if its that artistic creative side of me, but I do spend a lot of brain time on what my identity is and how I should be defining myself. There's a lot of talk these days about who we should be and what we should be living up to. First there's the "dear mom with an iphone" post, then theres the counter-posts. There's the "social networking is essential for your career," vs the "I'm swearing off social networking forever." The 'worldly' pursuits of beauty, financial success, and happiness vs the 'churchy' pursuits of holiness and servanthood and "joy in every circumstance!" In every one of my social circles there is pressure and standards to be met.

Over and over again I try to nail down my position and catch the ever elusive answer to my questions, and I keep stumbling on the same hard reality: life is not black and white. It's a daily set of decisions and actions that require discernment and wisdom to tackle, and as my circumstances change, in small ways so do I. What I would have done yesterday I may not do today. What I chose to do today I may not do tomorrow.

When I peel back the layers, there are a few things that make up my core, but everything else is seasonal. Like a tree, my leaves will grow and change and die to become new again.

Today I love triangles. Tomorrow it might be squares. but I will always love shapes, graphics, and using the creativity God pours into my soul daily.

So here's to letting the fads and trends blow by. To simply enjoying the leaves you've got right now, embracing the things that bring you joy and pointing that joy back to the one who gave it to you. I'm not going to waste any more of my week thinking about what kind of iphone mom I should be someday or whether or not my home/blog/clothes should be more/less white/coloured/graphic. And as I watch the seasons pass, the core of who I am will grow stronger, taller, and more resistant to the storms that come my way.

on that note, below is a space that brings joy to my soul and excites my love of colour
as well as a set of cards that indulge my triangle AND colour infatuations
and to complete the set, an illustration that just rocks

Show Me Canadian

Its a wonderful thing to be Canadian.

We like coffee, hockey, and ... beavers? oh and igloos, sled dogs, and seal hunting (how we pay for our  dial up internet/new parkas).

No really, we love to laugh about all the Canadian stereotypes out there that apply to a very small number of our population (but are none-the-less true). We canadians don't take life too seriously eh! We will poke fun of ourselves all day long. (Just don't suggest we're basically American - unless you want to see some mad kung fu slap down).

A few weeks ago I did up this illustration to go with the heading "Sharpening Our Edge." We discussed the possibility of using a wood cutter as a non-violent way to sharpen our edge, and once I had him in his plaid-covered lumberjack glory I had to add the beaver and Rrroll up the Rim cup. The concept was rejected in favour of a more serious approach, but I was so fond of him I got permission to share him on the blog.

What do you think? An appropriate amount of canadiana? Maybe someday we'll find the right use and the right audience. At least for that beaver...he's sharp.

Little Blue Table - furniture makeover

a few weeks a go I joined a friend in her search for the perfect dresser project. She snagged a winner, and while the salesmen helped her finalize the purchase I wandered by this little side table. At $9 and small enough to carry by myself, I just couldn't pass it up! Those horizontal lines had that bit of interest without being dated or overly intricate.

I put in another $20 for paint (lots left-anyone need blue?) and $4.50 for a new bit of hardware, and I'm so happy with my colour gamble! I haven't tried coloured paint on a piece of furniture before, but I love how it fits into my house. I asked for input when I was trying to decide what to do with it, and I got a lot of suggestions for an antiqued or worn in look. But I decided that while that would look amazing, it wouldn't fit what we've got going on in our home. I love how it came out - cute, with some attitude! love it. What do you think?

 I used Behr Paint & Primer for this piece. I've used it before on a white dresser, and I love how easy it makes everything! Since it primes, it sticks really well, so its awesome for really cheap pieces with thin veneer. I did a very light sanding (probably didn't actually do anything...) and then put on 3 coats. To get in the grooves on the drawer I had to use one of my tiny acrylic fine-art brushes, but it wasn't too much work (especially compared to my first project). I learned something new this time: I put the first coat on outside on my porch, my usual work space, but it was so wet outside that the moisture in the air made it impossible to dry! I brought it inside into the spare room, and did the subsequent coats inside, with the windows open. The paint doesn't smell too bad so it worked well.

Get Sketchin

All throughout design school I heard "sketch, sketch sketch. Don't stop sketching." "start with a sketchbook!" "lets see your sketches!"

I'll be honest, it has never come easy to me. Usually my pencil gets me the first 5% of an idea and then I jump to the computer. As I've delved deeper into illustration though, I've managed to figure out how sketching fits into my design process. Illustrations always start in my sketchbook, and more and more often so do the rest of my ideas. It's way easier to block out a layout shapes in 2 seconds flat than actually build everything before realizing the balance is off.

I've been really blessed to have the use of an ipad at work, and I've found a few apps that opened up a new world: digital sketching! I still haven't replaced the pencil and paper, but the ipad has worked its way into my flow as a new tool. And I can't lie, its much more satisfying to see your quick design show up in crisp colours or vector shapes than vague pencily scribbles.

If you're curious about my favourites, here they are:

Adobe Ideas: vector shapes you can whip up and then transfer to your computer for more detailed editing
Inkpad: the ipad version of illustrator (basically). You can do more detailed edits and built complex vector shapes.
Paper: my favourite for sketching! Its super quick and easy to lay out ideas, but the downside is you can only use these sketches as low res web images (all the bits in the image above are made in paper), no vector options here :(. if there were, this app would be KILLER. Oh also, you have to pay more if you want any extra brush tips or colours. boo!

Old House

I was spring cleaning my photo archives at work and found these photos I took a couple of years ago. I dont recall what I was working on, but I stopped to shoot this old run-down house on the side of the road. It was a creepy place (I think I saw a few needles) but the texture of the aged paint and crumbling shingles made for some awesome photos. Its a good reminder to me that it pays off to pull over and shoot!